Posts Tagged ‘films’

Villain Songs

Posted: June 8, 2015 in Living and Life, Reflections, Scary Stuff, Writing
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It goes without saying, I love villains. They’re often the most memorable part of a story or among the most memorable parts. Everyone recognizes the killer clown from Stephen King’s IT or Dr. Lecter tied up and wearing a mask in Silence of the Lambs. And in certain musicals, when they have a song about the villain, it can become the best part of the entire show. In fact, in some cases it’s the only good part of some musicals.

I guess I’m a little obsessed with villain songs, particularly “In the Dark of the Night” from the movie Anastasia (perhaps the only good part of an expensive Disney rip-off) and “Be Prepared” from The Lion King. I’ve even written my own villain song about me as a horror writer called “Eater of Fear” (boy, would I love to get that thing produced into an actual musical track) and I came up with an idea for a short story involving a villain song. And I’m not the only one. You’ll find plenty of people who like villain songs and even create lists for them (you can find examples of other people’s lists here, here, and here).

What’s with the love of villain songs? Well, I can think of several reasons. One is that everyone likes a catchy song. It’s part of the reason why we can’t get some of Taylor Swift or Carly Rae Jepsen’s songs out of our heads sometimes (I’ve been there more than once). Villain songs are among the catchiest because they are often used to explain the plans or motivations of the villains, so a lot of thought is put into making the lyrics and tune exciting while explaining these plans/motivations. It’s a lot more fun than you’re average monologue about the villain’s plans or beliefs, right? Nobody downloads those on their iPods!

Tell me you weren’t wiggling a little in your seat when Dr. Facilier started doing this fun little song and dance.

 

Another reason is that–and this is my own opinion, but I think it has merit–most people want to indulge in their dark side every now and then, they want to have a little fun being evil. How many times have we wished we could get revenge on our bosses or on that nasty kid on the playground? Probably a lot, but we don’t because most of us are good people who would never do something so horrid or we’re afraid of the consequences. A villain song is a sort of trip to the dark side. You get to indulge in being bad and have fun singing about it. And when the song is over, what’s the worst that comes back to haunt you? Maybe someone sees you singing and goes to warn somebody else, but that might be it. Usually, the song ends and we move onto the next part of the story.

In addition, villain songs are packed with dark visuals. Even non-fans of horror like the dark and the creepy every now and then, they just don’t like being assaulted with it in the books or movies or shows they read or watch. No, they prefer to dip their toes, and a villain song is a perfect way to do it. If you’ve ever watched “Hellfire” from The Hunchback of Notre Dame or “Be Prepared”, you know they’ve got some arresting visuals. The former has some freaky Gothic and hellish imagery, the latter has freaking Nazi hyenas marching in front of Fuhrer Scar. It’s kind of creepy, it stays with you, and it’s a lot of fun to watch.

Anyone who didn’t find this scene a little chilling is either lying or possibly has ties to dangerous organizations or groups.

 

These and a bunch of other reasons could be why villain songs resonate with us so much as an audience. Whether it’s because we love a villain, indulging safely in our dark side, or we just like a catchy tune, villain songs are just a ton of fun and as long as people are writing musicals, they’re bound to show up again and again in our shows and, if they’re good, in our consciousnesses.

Do you have a thing for villain songs? Which are your favorite? And why do you think they tend to stick in people’s minds so much?

Oh, just a reminder that my Big Birthday Sale is in 2 days. From June 10th to June 14th, all my titles–The Quiet Game, Reborn City, and Snake–will be marked down or, in the case of the e-books, free to download from Amazon and Smashwords. So if you’re looking for something new to read and want to get it at a good price, this might be the opportunity for you. Get excited, because it’s coming soon!

That’ll be all for now, Followers of Fear. I’ve got to go and sing some “Eater of Fear” in my head. Have a good one.

The Love/Hate Challenge

Posted: June 4, 2015 in Living and Life, Writing
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Joleene Naylor, fellow author and writer of the Ramblings from the Darkness blog (cool name, by the way), has challenged me to do the Love/Hate Challenge. What I have to do is write ten things I love, ten things I hate, and then challenge ten other bloggers to do the same (don’t you just love these meme things?).

Alright, here I go Joleene. First, ten things I love:

  1. Anything scary or terrifying (come on, you knew that was going to be up first. I’m nothing if not true to my values).
  2. Manga and anime. I’ve been a fan since I first watched Pokemon and Sailor Moon as a kid, and even though I don’t spend as much time with either format today, I’ll probably be a fan throughout my life.
  3. Places filled with a rich (and possibly bloody) history. These windows into the past are so powerful, giving the appreciative viewer the chance to reflect on not only where they’ve been and where they’re going in their life, but where the world has gone and where they may go someday. Plus these places usually yield up awesome ideas for stories and occasionally are haunted.
  4. A good joke. If you can make me laugh or I can make you laugh, then all is right with the world.
  5. Cats. Enough said. Also, today is National Hug Your Cat Day, so go and do that.
  6. Dogs. Also enough said. Also, National Hug Your Dog Day is the second Sunday of September. Thought you’d like to know.
  7. Music. My tastes run in a number of directions, from classical and meditative music to metal and J-Pop and everything in between. When I’m listening to music I like, I’m transported to another world, and it’s one where everything is calm, wonderful, and able to stimulate my senses and my imagination. Where would I be without music? Actually don’t answer that, I’d rather not know.
  8. Sweets. I have a powerful sweet tooth, and satisfying it is no easy task. It’s actually led to some excess wait I’ve been trying to get rid for a while now. Still, can’t help myself. That’s just how things are, I guess. Now give me some chocolate cake!
  9. Moscato white wines and wheat beers. Plus every now and then a sweet cocktail like a Long Island Iced Tea or an Electrified Lemonade. Never all at once, of course. That’s just dangerous.
  10. And of course, settling down in the evenings to watch some good TV. Doctor Who, Sleepy Hollow, and Law & Order: SVU are particular favorites of mine. I cannot wait for the next seasons of any of these to start!

Alright, there’s the things I love. Time for the things I hate:

  1. Really bad horror films or novels. It really gets me when you get so excited for what looks like a scary good time and then you’re let down in the worst possible way. At that point, I want to find whoever wrote the story or made the film and shout at them, “What were you thinking when you made that piece of crap?!” And this leads me to my next item…
  2. The Friday the 13th remake. Honestly, that was a pile of shit that Michael Bay threw at us. I’m pretty sure the director and writers were going through a sexual dry spell when they made that movie, and that’s why they placed so much more emphasis on getting all the girls naked and showing them having sex while the guys got drunk and high and swore every other word, rather than making a legit Friday the 13th film. It’s the only way I know how to explain the abomination inflicted upon us.
  3. When people are totally prejudiced or ignorant. Honestly, that really gets my goat when people don’t use their God-given brains or close their hearts over tiny differences between people. It’s even worse when they know they’re being ignorant or prejudiced, they just don’t care. That shows real callousness on their parts.
  4. Idiocy in government. Unfortunately there’s a lot of that no matter where you go. Totally sucks, right?
  5. When people continue to defend the Duggars. Really people, if it was anyone who wasn’t famous who had molested those girls, everyone who didn’t belong on a sex-offender registry would be condemning them and wishing them a nice vacation in Hell. Yet the Duggars are famous, so clearly we must accept that their son made a small mistake and he’s really a good Christian and worthy of forgiveness. I’m going to have to beg to differ.
  6. The price of things. It’s expensive to pay for living space, for basic services, for food, for transportation. Not to mention to pay for entertainment. It’s insane.
  7. Spiders! Especially big ones where you can see each individual feature on their ugly little faces! *shudder*
  8. That NBC cancelled the Dracula TV series (if I were to be convicted of a capital crime, it would be for trying to avenge this dreadful wrong).
  9. That I never have enough time to write or edit or publish. I’ve got so many different projects just languishing, waiting for me to get around to them. And yet I’m often stuck on a single story for several weeks at a time or more! I wish I could find more time to be as prolific as many other writers out there.
  10. And finally, I hate it when I have the components for a good story in my mind, I just can’t make them connect to create a story that’s original, interesting, and scary. And when those components are swirling in my head for days and I still can’t connect them, it annoys me even more. What a pest.

Alright, I’ve completed the challenge. Now to nominate ten bloggers and let them know:

That’s all for now. Just a reminder that there’s six days left till my big birthday sale, where you’ll be able to check out my books at discount prices from June 10th-June 14th. Get excited!

8 Problems Horror Fans Have That Nobody Else Gets

Posted: May 26, 2015 in Living and Life, Scary Stuff
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I’ve mentioned it before, but being a fan of horror (let alone a writer of horror) can be very difficult sometimes. We’re not even in the Top 10 Most Popular Genres. We might be in the Top 20…I think. Such is the fate of a group that likes to be scared, when most people would rather avoid the feeling of having something evil and murderous lurking over your shoulders. Because of that, I thought I’d make a list of problems that is mostly unique to the horror genre. Here it is for your humor edification.

1. You’re not dangerous or creepy, you’re actually well adjusted. For some reason the popular image of horror fans is that we’re a dark, moody bunch who got bullied a lot as kids and we’re just looking for the opportunity to get our revenge on the world in the most depraved of ways. Why does anyone think that? Is it because we like movies where serial killers find half-naked girls in the woods, throw them against trees, and then cut them in half?

I don’t know. But if I’m anything to go by, I’m not that image. True, I was bullied a bit when I was younger, but it definitely didn’t affect me that badly! People tell me I’m a funny and really nice kind of guy whom they generally like. And most other fans I know are good people, we just like a good ghost story or slasher flick on the weekends rather than the latest Sandra Bullock comedy or have a fantasy football league. I mean, some of us do those things as well, but we also like to shout “Redrum” when we’re angry or go see Slipknot when we’re in concert. It’s just how we roll.

2. It’s hard to get people to go to the movies with you. Is there a new Avengers flick out? You’ll probably find someone to go with you by simply sending a text message. Comedy or romance film? If no one in your immediate social circle is available, chances are someone at the office will go with you. Horror movie? Yeah, unless your date or your friend is super brave or tolerant of scary stuff, you’ll be sitting in that theater alone for the most part. I speak from experience.

And speaking of which…

3. You can’t make people see why Cary Fukunaga’s departure from the new adaptation of IT is such a disaster. In case you didn’t know, Fukunaga, who’s directed True Detective among other things, was set to direct a two-part adaptation of the Stephen King classic. Sadly he split after he and New Line couldn’t see eye-to-eye over certain aspects. To which many say, “NOOOO! Why?” Most people just assume we’re being drama queens, especially since there’s already an adaptation of IT out there that scared them as children.

Really not scary.

Really not scary.

Yeah, as children. Truth be told, you watch it again, it’s a crappy adaptation, sanitized for TV audiences and with so much changed from the original story fans of the novel are left with a bad taste in their mouths. And Tim Curry as Pennywise the Clown isn’t even that terrifying. Mostly he just laughs at a distance and talks about making corpses float. The kids are never shown in real danger. I’ve seen scarier things in a college final (for more reasons why the IT TV miniseries sucks, watch this review by the Nostalgia Critic and laugh yourself silly at how you ever thought this could be scary).

So naturally, we were hoping that we would get the adaptation IT deserves. Without Fukunaga, it’s about as dead as a corpse floating in a sewer, and we’re all disappointed.

Hey, maybe I did make you see why Fukunaga’s leaving is such a disaster. Go me!

4. You can’t wear your horror fan badge with pride on first dates. Horror fans do date, and a lot of us have great relationships and families. However, declaring you’re a horror fan on the first date and several subsequent dates is like romantic suicide. People assume that, if you’re male, you’re some wannabe serial killer creep who spends too much time peeping on girls, looking at graphic porn, and practicing killing in a dark and moldy basement. If you’re female, they think you were one of those goth girls in high school whom nobody got along with and who has anger and break-up issues.

Like I pointed out above, we’re not. Most of us stay out of those basements, get along with plenty of different people, and would never dream of hurting anyone. Not as if we can point that out on the first date though. Maybe pull out a Stephen King novel when you start staying over at one another’s places, and that’ll signal that you like to dip into terror every now and then. After a few more sleepovers or whatever and the books consistently stay scary, they’ll realize that yes, you like horror, but you’re not going to hobble them with an axe or mallet and chain them to a bed in your house.

As you can see, Halloween's a big deal for me.

As you can see, Halloween’s a big deal for me.

5. Halloween is more than just a single day of the year for you. No, it’s an entire freaking month, and a lot goes into it. You want the perfect scary costume, the perfect creepy decorations. You have to decide what scary movies coming out you’re going to see, what scary movies you’re going to revisit on DVD, what books you’re going to read. You’re going to want to discuss how the new season of American Horror Story is doing leading up to the two Halloween episodes. And you’re going to want to find the perfect party to show off your Halloween love.

You see, Halloween for us is kind of like how moms treat their daughters when they enter beauty pageants for children. We want to show the world how good we are, we want it done right, and you all better cooperate with us and with our zeal for this or there will be plenty of hell to pay! Happy Halloween, bitches! You just try and beat me at my own game!

6. Our love of metal is probably much healthier than being a fan of Justin Bieber. Again, we’re back on that negative image. Most horror fans have a pretty wide-ranging taste for music. Stephen King’s a rock fan, and I have an eclectic mix of J-Pop to classical on my iPod. Yes, I like metal too and so do a lot of other people, but it’s all just fun. We’re not actually looking to submit to Satan or in danger of turning into gunmen. Most metal artists are apparently pretty decent people when you meet them too. They have normal lives like you or me, they just are good at reaching our inner angst through music. It’s much better than listening to an overgrown toddler still going through puberty and acting like a total idiot when he’s not on tour, anyway.

7. It’s hard to discuss serial killers, fictional or real, in the company of others. I learned this the hard way, and to this day I still wish I’d shut my mouth before it made people give me stares. Sorry if I’m a little passionate about explaining how Ed Gein helped inspire Hannibal Lecter, Norman Bates, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. You’re the one who asked if that last one really was based on anything real.

 

8. Most importantly, we go to great lengths to find gold in a pile of shit. I mean that metaphorically, of course. But it applies so well. There’s a lot of horrible horror novels and films out there, and horror fans will go to great lengths to find a film if they think it’ll be interesting to watch, much more than fans of other genres. Fear for us is like a drug, and we’ll try the gamut of bad films if it’ll give us the high we’re looking for. And even if we get a couple of bad ones, it’s well worth it when we find a really awesome one that scares us to our core.

Like Fukunaga’s IT would’ve been. And now I’m sad.

~~~

If anything, this post is meant to show you that horror fans are normal people, just like you or bronies. Are we perfect? No. Are some of our interests very macabre? Yes. Have I been to a morgue? Once or twice, but in the long run, does it really prove anything? Not really. It just shows, like everyone else, we’re all a little different and have our own special quirks.

So the next time you meet a horror fan, do us all a favor. Don’t discuss serial killers with us until we know you better. Instead, talk about the IT adaptation we wish we had and about how hard it is to get a good scare these days. Or the economy, that works just as well.

Was there any particular problems about being a horror fan that I missed?

Do any of these items stand out to you at all?

Review: Poltergeist (2015)

Posted: May 22, 2015 in Review, Scary Stuff
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I’m going to tell you right now, I’m a little disappointed with this film. That might be because I hyped myself over this film due to the trailer being so awesome. However, I think a lot of it was because…well, it was a bad film. Not kidding. There was a little girl in the audience, I thought she was brave for coming to see this. She didn’t need to be brave. It just wasn’t scary.

I should’ve known a Poltergeist remake wouldn’t be good.

We all know the story, so I don’t think anyone will mind if I spoil this movie. If you don’t know the Poltergeist story, then spoilers ahead, and I wonder what rock you’ve been living under. Basically the filmmakers decided that since almost everyone knows the story about a family moving into a haunted house and the cute, innocent kid being abducted by the dead and her family having to go after her, they’d just update it for 2015, change some minor details, and throw the mythology at the audience, who will hopefully find it scary. Really, they would’ve done better going in a new direction, which Insidious did with a new mythology and some slight twists on the familiar formula, adding atmosphere, mystery, and surprise to scare us to death.

Here, like I said, they just throw the mythology at the audience. We’re drowned in it so that we  aren’t scared at all and the moments that actually halfway close to being scary were either included in the trailer and don’t have the same impact, or the sense of danger is just not there. For instance, there’s a moment with a power drill that could’ve been very scary, but the way it’s done you just know things will turn out fine before it does.

The thing about the original Poltergeist was that it took its time. It slowly built up the strangeness and horror and helped us wade into a mythology that would be expanded in the later two films. Here, the filmmakers are so concerned about paying homage to the original film that they rush us into it and pay homage to all that made the original scary in ways that just don’t terrify. “Look here!” “Here’s this reference!” That’s literally what they do.

Another thing is the humor in this movie. They try and insert humor at various times in the movie, and while humor in horror does help in some horror stories in-between terrifying moments, the ones here are all at the wrong places and seemed forced. They’re only barely funny. I think they would’ve done better not to insert humor at all the wrong places and instead try and expand on the character development of these barely-developed characters. Maybe show how the dad is trying to be a good provider even though he’s jobless and refuses to allow his wife to get a job and then show how he fixes that?

Also, why does the the little boy have a sink in his attic bedroom? There’s no bathroom up there, so why’s there a sink? Is it an unfinished bathroom or something? And I don’t care how much wiggle room there is on a house in a neighborhood with plenty of foreclosures and that was built on a cemetery. You don’t buy a freaking huge house like that when you have no steady income! Move into an apartment until you can find something better! You’ll avoid the ghosts too!

There are some good points to this film though. The few variations they make from the original are inventive and interesting, and the scene in the afterlife is much more visually interesting and creepy than the weird green screen effect they had in 1986’s Poltergeist II. And I like how the movie incorporates the ghost-hunting field and how some ghost hunters have become famous through reality TV. As a fan of some of those shows, I had a little laugh at that. Plus I don’t think this version has a curse on it (unless the curse either left the movie alone because it was so bad or it made the movie bad, in which case it’s a very intelligent curse we’ve got here).*

But other than that, not much going for this film. Even the “They’re here” falls flat where it should soar, which is just sad. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving the Poltergeist remake a failing grade of 1.4. It’s almost as bad as the Friday the 13th remake. Almost as bad. Poltergeist wasn’t ruined by Michael Bay, and it didn’t use sex to try and utterly fail to liven things up (which is good, because two of the main female characters are under the age of 18).

All for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m signing off for the night. Let’s hope I find a good horror film next time around. I’ve gotten so many duds lately.

*If you didn’t know, the original Poltergeist is supposedly cursed because during one scene it cost too much to make fake skeletons and instead they used real ones dug up from actual graves. Between the first and third films, several members of the cast and others associated with the film died strange and/or violent deaths. Well, if you let monetary considerations overshadow your respect for the dead, you have to expect some sort of karmic backlash. Too bad it came down on the ones who didn’t deserve it.

It’s Official! I Have a Job in Germany!

Posted: May 21, 2015 in Living and Life
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Guten morgen, mein Anhanger der Angst. Translation: Good morning, my Followers of Fear.

Well, it’s official. I’ve found a job. I was going to wait to announce this when I had all the full details, but I was like, “F*** it,” and decided to post it. Besides, this is such good news, I can’t keep it under wraps for long.

So, if you haven’t seen my Facebook post or tweets yet, I’ve accepted a job with the US Army Civilian Corps, and I’ll be working through some point in September with them (possibly longer, but no guarantees). To be specific, I’ll be working with their Equal Employment Opportunity Office in Wiesbaden, Germany. Yeah, that’s right. I’m heading to Deutschland! It’s been a year since I’ve been to Germany, when I was in Berlin with my study abroad trip, and I’ve been wanting to go back to Europe ever since. I can say with great happiness that opportunity is come.

As for what work I’ll be doing, it’s mostly going to be dealing with policy changes, as well as a newsletter. Yeah, that’s right. I’m working on a newsletter. I actually landed a writing job. Can you say, “OH YEAH!”? Writing is my life, and this will help me work on my skills and build a portfolio.

I leave for Germany May 31st–ten days from now–and will arrive in the evening on the 1st in Frankfurt, which is not too far from the base I’ll be staying at. Some of the details are still being finalized, but that should be coming along soon. In the meantime, today I’m doing a lot of stuff related to getting ready to move out of my apartment and get ready to fly to Europe. Trust me, it’s going to be crazy!

And does anyone remember that Tarot metaphor I used back when I graduated? Well, it looks like that next cycle of my life is starting. How long it lasts or where it’ll take me, nobody knows. Still, I’ll be having a ton of fun as I dive right into this next challenge, and I hope you’ll stick with me as I enter the next phase of my life. Wish me luck, Followers of Fear. I’ll see you next time (probably in my review of Poltergeist).

Review: Cinderella (2006 film)

Posted: May 19, 2015 in Review, Scary Stuff
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A while back I said I was going to try and catch some more Korean horror films after seeing one that wasn’t too bad. Well, I just saw another one. And it sucked. So I’m sharing my thoughts on it here, partly because I feel like I should tell people in case they want to see it, and partly because I need to exorcise my thoughts on it or they’ll stew in my head for a while (never a good thing).

Cinderella is only very tenuously connected to the story we all grew up with. This movie follows Hyeon-su, a very pretty teenager who lives with her talented plastic surgeon mother Yoonhee. After one of her friends suffers a gruesome death after getting plastic surgery from Yoonhee, Hyeon-su starts to wonder about things her mother has kept from her. As more of her friends are attacked after getting surgery and as Hyeon-su’s mother starts to lose her mind, Hyeon-su must find the answers, all while being stalked by a blue-eyed ghost with a preoccupation for pretty faces.

While I give that the premise is good and the story told in the movie is very interesting as well, I have a lot of problems with Cinderella. I found myself having a lot of trouble understanding what was going on, the filmmakers didn’t do a very good job of emphasizing the supernatural elements so that you knew they were supernatural, and they didn’t do a good job explaining the mother’s dark secret very well either, making it so that the final twist loses its punch (if you actually find yourself not having to look up the Wikipedia article so you can have the final twist explained to you). Not only that, but the flashbacks are often forced on us so rapidly we have trouble figuring out whether we’re in the past or the present. Add in only a few real scares and that just shows how bad this movie is.

For what it’s worth though, the scares, when they do happen, are spectacular and frightening. And they do chronicle Yoonhee’s deterioration into madness quite well. And like I said, the premise is good, and the story they were telling would’ve been more impactful if they’d done a better job making the movie.

All in all, I’m giving Cinderella a 2.4 out of 5. Not great, but it was a good attempt, and if it had been done right, Cinderella might’ve been a great horror movie with an underlying theme of how some people, especially some South Koreans, are obsessed with beauty and achieving it through plastic surgery. I’d suggest a North American remake, but I have a feeling that that would just be another House at the End of the Street: great potential but poor execution.

My next review will probably be the Poltergeist remake coming out later this week. I’m a fan of the original and I’d like to see what they change in this adaptation (besides the little girl being a brunette and the medium being a forty-something Brit) and how scary it is. Judging by the previews, it should be plenty scary.

The Super Dilemma: Women, Race, and The Marvel Cinematic Universe

Posted: May 1, 2015 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
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[Writer’s Note: The following post does contain some slight spoilers about the new Avengers movie, but it’s all very minor stuff, nothing that would ruin your viewing of the film if you plan to go and see it. Just wanted to let you know.]

So last night I went with a friend of mine to catch Avengers: Age of Ultron. It was fantastic, great action scenes, some really dark moments of character development, and plenty of that humor we’ve come to enjoy from the MCU films. If I were to give this film a rating, I’d probably put it between a 4 and a 5.

However, there were some things that bothered me, and I want to talk about them here. One of those things, as said by Maria Hill during that party (which we’ve known about for months, so it’s not a spoiler): “Where are all the women?” Yes indeed, where all the women? If you think about it, while there are plenty of women in these movies who hold their own against the men, the women are still underrepresented in the MCU. Black Widow has shown up in four films so far and set to appear in the next Captain America film, but a solo film isn’t even in the works (though a treatment apparently has been written) and she’s only got 24 action figures compared to over a hundred various Iron Man toys.

It’s even more sad when you consider how she’s such a great, well-rounded character who can be a great role model for girls, and Scarlett Joahnnson’s costars make fun of her and call the character “a slut” and “a whore”. Yeah, they did that. Women are so much more than their sexuality and gender, and yet these guys reduce a character to being sexually promiscuous just because she’s comfortable around a bunch of testosterone-high males. Seriously, half or more of the audiences of these films happen to be female, as I understand. At least half the people in the theater with me last night were women, and I don’t think they were there just for Captain America and Thor’s good looks. You’d think the people making these films would remember that more often before saying something so hurtful and wrong.

Seriously, where’s her time? Where’s her solo film?

 

Now, there is a Ms. Marvel film in the works, Agent Carter was a real hit when it came out as a TV miniseries earlier this year and AKA Jessica Jones is being made into a series on Netflix, but the Ms. Marvel film isn’t due out until late 2018, a full year after DC plans to release a Wonder Woman film. Really Marvel? You’ve been doing this for way longer than the other studios, and you’re going to let DC get a superheroine flick out before you? I’m ashamed. You could’ve at least put more priority on getting more female characters out there.

Another thing that gets my goat (and again, this won’t ruin your experience of the movie, so don’t bite my head off), is that while Nick Fury, James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine and Sam Wilson/Falcon make appearances, the latter two’s involvement in this film is minimal at best. War Machine shows up near the very end but ends up contributing very little. And Falcon is maybe in the film for a little over forty seconds, making me wonder why he was in the film at all if they weren’t going to really use him.

Really? Look, by 2050 minorities are going to be the majority in this country, and shows like Scandal or How To Get Away With Murder and movies like the Fast & Furious franchise are popular partially because of their extremely diverse casting. People like seeing characters like them that they can look up to in these stories, and these franchises and shows give that to so many people who have been shut out of the entertainment industry for years. Yet the most diverse casting so far in these films is the group from Guardians of the Galaxy. And I think with so many different non-white heroes in the Marvel universe, the filmmakers are making a big mistake by not trying to have more diverse casts in their movies.

Then again, there is room for hope. A Black Panther film is in the works with Chadwick Boseman as the character, there are rumors that the new Spider-Man might be black or Latino*, and hints from Age of Ultron that the next couple of movies will feature more diverse casts, which I can only say is a good thing. And with Marvel planning on putting out more of these films at least through 2028 as long as people are still willing to see them (my God, this franchise will never end!), so there’s still opportunity to make sure the women of the MCU get their chance in the spotlight as well.

They’ve got plenty of time, so I hope thy use that to put out a few films with more diverse casts.

 

We just have to hope that Kevin Feige and the folks producing these films take the hints their audiences are sending them.

What’s your take on this? Is it a big problem, or are critics taking this issue way too seriously?

Which character would you like to see given a solo film?

*I’m sorry, I’m going to take the end of this post to rant a little and blow some steam. I kind of liked the Marc Webb Spider-Man films with Andrew Garfield. He was funny, they were clearly setting up a cinematic universe of their own, and I liked the characters very much. But Rise of Electro makes less than $750 million at the box office and what does Sony do? Cancel all immediate plans for a sequel and sell out to Marvel so that Spidey can join the Avengers! I mean really! Why even bother making the films in the first place? I just hope Spidey 3.0 is funny and engaging, otherwise one of my childhood heroes is going to be ruined for me.

Review: Unfriended

Posted: April 18, 2015 in Review, Scary Stuff
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Let me preface this review by pointing out that I usually enjoy the movies that Jason Blum and his company Blumhouse Productions put out. Sinister, Insidious and Insidious 2, The Conjuring and Annabelle. Those are freaky movies. Which is why I’m saddened to say that this latest venture does not live up to expectations. In fact, Unfriended is more a time waster than a terror coaster.

Unfriended follows Blaire Lily, played by Shelley Hennig of Teen Wolf fame and somehow playing a much blander character than the one she played in Ouija. And for most of that film she’s dead (see my review of that one here)! Anyway, the film is told by watching Blaire’s laptop’s desktop and the multitude of programs she’s got going at once. All of her friends and her boyfriend log in for a Skype call and are joined by a mysterious, faceless person who seems to be stalking them. The person claims to be Laura Barns, a friend of theirs who committed suicide a year previously after an embarrassing video of her was uploaded onto the Internet. Whoever it is, they threaten anyone who signs off, uploads embarrassing information about each person, and then kills them. As the number of friends wind down, we get closer to the heart of the mystery: who filmed and uploaded the video that started it all.

I kind of knew before I even saw the movie that it would be difficult to make an impressive film told entirely from a Mac desktop. If they’d kept the tension and terror going through the whole film, then it might not be a problem. However, there are several minutes where nothing happens, where Blaire is chatting on Facebook or through IMs or looking things up or where Laura is typing to the living. During those parts, the tension doesn’t just mellow out, it disappears. Even during a sequence where Laura is forcing her friends to admit they’ve said or done horrific things, it’s not scary. Tragic or sad, but not scary.

Even sadder is that I don’t get to know these characters enough to build any sympathy for these characters. They’re all pretty much stereotypes or archetypes and not much beyond that. Blaire’s the supposedly sweet and innocent virgin, a horror staple, her boyfriend’s the sweet, lovesick puppy teenager from next door. The others are a bitchy drama queen, an overly-entitled rich kid, a geeky hacker, and a blonde (yeah, she’s just a blonde. Nothing beyond that. As a blonde, I’m kind of insulted). Beyond all that, there’s not a thing to say about these people.

And Laura Barns? Don’t know what to make of her. Some say she was just a sweet girl with some family troubles that are briefly hinted at, others see her as an awful bitch. All we see is the villain manipulating them and their computers. I’d have loved to see a flashback of this girl, rather than just some videos and recollections.

That said, Unfriended does have its points. The film looks like it has been filmed in one continuous shot and any cuts in film (of which I’m sure there are) are so hard to catch it looks seamless. The characters do show how unstable teen relationships can be, how you can be a friend and still call someone a bitch at the same time. And there’s that underlying theme of bullying and cyberbullying throughout. They do that well.

Still, I wouldn’t waste money on Unfriended if I were you. Wait until it’s on DVD. It’s an interesting concept, not something previously done in film, but it might have been better told as a short story than as a movie. I’m giving it a 2.6 out of 5. I’m sad that they’re already considering a sequel to this movie, or maybe even a line of sequels. God, I hope they don’t waste the money making more of these! That cash could go to so many better things.

Well, that’s all for now. I’m–wait. What’s this chat box? I–Oh damn. Ghost on my computer. Gotta go, my Followers of Fear. I think I need an exorcist.

Self-Pub Authors: Avoiding Copyright Infringement

Posted: April 15, 2015 in Journalism, Writing
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I just published my latest post on Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors. This one is “Hey, That’s My Idea!”: When Works of Fiction are so Similar You Want to Sue. It’s about what happens when you find a work that’s so similar to yours that you fear someone’s stolen your idea, infringed on your copyright. The post was inspired by a story I read this morning, how Joss Whedon–yes, that Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy and director of both Avengers movies–has been hit by a lawsuit by an author who claims Cabin in the Woods is taken directly from his own 2006 novel. It’s interesting, and I wanted to explore the issue a bit more deeply.

If you get the chance, please check out the article. And if you like what you read, please check out and subscribe to the blog. Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors is written by authors, for authors, and to authors so that they can write, edit, market, and publish not only cost-efficiently, but produce the best work they can while they do it. It’s worth a read.

That’s all for now. I’ve got a lot to do, so I’m going to get it done. Have a good one, my Followers of Fear.

Why I’m Excited for the Five Nights at Freddy’s Movie

Posted: April 11, 2015 in Living and Life, Scary Stuff
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Learned some very interesting news this week. Has anyone hear heard of Five Night’s at Freddy’s? If you haven’t, allow me the pleasure to fill you in on it. Five Nights at Freddy’s (hereafter referred to FNaF) is an indie survival horror game. It’s rather interesting, and not just because it’s from the indie scene. You play a security guard at Freddy FazBear’s Pizza (think Chuck E. Cheese with creepy animatronics) who works the night shift. It’s actually a pretty nasty job: the animatronic creatures in the pizza parlor come alive at night and wander around. Your job is to not just watch the parlor, but to survive the creatures, which will try to find you and kill you by stuffing you into an animatronic suit, which still has the parts inside (bloody!). You survive five progressively more difficult nights, you win the game (and get some bonus nights). You get caught by the creatures…

And did I mention that you play the entire game from inside the security office, where the most you can do is turn on some lights in the hallways, close some doors, and watch security feeds through an iPad? All while trying to keep your battery life up before you lose power and die? Yeah, that’s how you play the game. It sounds easy, but it’s actually pretty difficult. Believe me, I’ve played. You try to keep focused on the doors, but then you get jumpy and look through the iPad. And the more power you use, the less you’re able to turn on lights or open and close doors. And then…they get you.

It’s a nerve-wracking game, and it’s not surprising to see that it’s grown popular enough to generate two sequels, where they’ve furthered the back story of the game and why these murderous robots attack security guards. And now Warner Bros. is in the process of adapting it into a movie. This could be good, because while movies based on video games usually suck, indie games are usually riskier, more artsy, and heavy on story account. So the movie that results from this game could be able to balance slasher and suspense horror with storytelling and character development. Maybe reinvigorate the slasher movie genre a little.

You have to admit, that’s kind of creepy.

 

Or it could suck balls, we’ll regret going to see it, the studios will be even more wary about trying even semi-original projects, and we’ll reach our movie-sequel saturation point much, much quicker than we’d hope. That’s always a possibility. Seth Grahame-Smith, one of the producers on the film, said he wants “to make an insane, terrifying and weirdly adorable movie”. If they get to weirdly adorable, we the audience may have problems.

Well, I’ll stay hopeful until I see evidence otherwise. I like to think that this movie adaptation has the makings of being something good. The plot will probably involve a security guard hired to watch a Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Parlor. While being more mobile than in the game, the guard will deal with murderous animatronics, a limited amount of power (how they explain that one will be interesting) and the unraveling mystery of the source of this evil (in the games, the animatronics are possessed by the ghosts of children who were murdered by a guy in a Freddy Fazbear suit who stuffed their bodies into suits. I wonder if they’ll keep that backstory). There’s plenty of ways to make that suspenseful and creepy, I bet.

Like I said, we’ll see. I dream of writing it personally and making sure it’s good, but I don’t see that happening at this point, so I’ll hope and go see it when it hits theaters, possibly within the next five years. In the meantime, I think there are evil animatronic monsters in my apartment, so I have to destroy them. If I don’t reply to your comments within five nights, you know what’s happened.

Are you excited for the FNaF movie? Do you think it’ll be good? Why or why not?

Do you think games can be made into good movies? And what’s needed in order to do so?

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